A CODING SYSTEM FOR MMPI PROFILE
CLASSIFICATION1
BY STARKE R. HATHAWAY
UNIVERSITY OP MINNESOTA
OR SOME time there has been a
F need for a more efficient method of
classifying Minnesota-Multiphasic Per-
sonality profiles. Certain problems of
behavior such as, for example, alcohol-
ism, are likely to be symptomatic of ba-
sic personality patterns represented by
several different profile types. If one
averages the profile scale values ob-
tained in such symptomatic groups, de-
finitive information may be lost. A
complete analysis should include both
the averages and some kind of inter-
scale variability study.
In the development of the MMPI
scales, the particular scale has been
stressed rather than the profile. This
was in part due to the fact that the
scales were serially derived, making it
impossible to speak of profiles in earlier
work. It has been common practice,
however, for the experienced users of
the inventory to evaluate profiles rather
than separate scales. No one has seri-
ously doubted the general validity of
this profile approach but experimental
verification or even simple transmission
of one person's experience to another
has been nearly impossible from lack of
"profile language."
Gough [2], Harris [3], Meehl [5]
and Schmitt [6] have all presented clini-
cal data of profile-descriptive type, but
their descriptions were very hard to ap-
1 to standard score 46. No specific indi-
Data used in this paper were in part ob- cation is provided for variation of scales
tained through facilities provided by a Gradu-
ate School Research Grant.
384
ply to a particular profile and it would
be a real problem for another investi-
gator to locate in his files the profiles
most nearly fitting the descriptions.
Du Mas [1] has discussed the prob-
lems of profile analysis and concludes,
among other points, "If prediction or
diagnosis is to be maximally good, both
intensity and pattern must be operative
in a profile."
The coding system presented here ex-
presses intensity and pattern but effects
a compromise between too much detail
on scale elevation and equally undesir-
able detail as to profile shape. If either
elevation or shape is too fully expressed,
the nine clinical scales of the MMPI
provide an unusually cumbersome num-
ber of classes. On the contrary, one
must preserve enough detail to include
the "type" information that may later
be found in the profiles.
From the code to be presented, one at
once knows for any coded profile all
scales that deviate farther upward than
a standard score of 54. These are listed
in order of their deviation magnitude
with the most extreme first and others
in succession. A mark is also provided
to show the point at which this descend-
ing series of scale values crosses the 70
line. Following the listed high points a
dash initiates a list of the low points
which are in order from lowest upward
within the range of the middle nine
 A CODING SYSTEM FOB MMPI PROFILE CLASSIFICATION
TABLE I
HYPOTHETICAL PROFILE: DATA AND CODES
Scale Hs D Hy Pd
Scale No. 1 2 3 4
A 65 70 75 54
B 48 64 50 72
C 46 44 47 52
standard score points (T = 46 to 54 in-
clusive) .
The first step in classification is the
substitution of number digits for the
nine scale symbols. The Hs scale be-
comes scale one, D becomes twp and so
on across the profile ending with Ma
represented by the number nine. Using
these numbers to refer to the scales, one
may begin to write the code for a par-
ticular profile.
•Consider the hypothetical profile that
would result from the T scores of A in
Table I. The code for this profile would
be 3217-69. This code is obtained by
writing first the code number of the
highest score and successively the num-
bers of the next highest down to (but
not including) a T value of 54. When
these numbers have been written they
are followed with a dash. The number
of the scale with lowest T score is
written next followed by the numbers
of successively higher scale values until
a T of 46 is reached. Numbers of scales
having T values of 46 to 54 inclusive
are not written. Finally, a prime is
placed after the number of the last of
the high scales that has a T value of 70
or more.
Consider next the profile represented
by B in Table I. The code for this is
4'5278-. In this case, the underlining
(to avoid hand setting italic numbers
may be used for printing material) in-
dicates that the four scales are equal or
proceed in a sequence differing by only
one point. There are no scale values be-
low a T score of 46 so no values appear
335
Mf Pa Pt Sc Ma Cpde
5 6 7 8 9
46 40 55 53 45 3217-69
65 54 63 63 54 4'527S-
40 50 48 52 54 -50i
to the right of the dash.
Table I example C presents still an-
other possibility. The code for these
data is -521. The code shows Mf to be
the lowest point with Hs and D equal
or within one point.
Finally, if the ? or the L has a T
value greater than or equal to 70 or if
the F has a T value greater than or
equal to 80, a large X is placed after
the code to indicate the probable inva-
lidity of the profile. (The K score [4],
if it is used at all, is assumed to have
been used in obtaining the T values
themselves.)
For filing coded profiles a card index
is prepared with blank 3 by 5 index
cards having five tab positions. On nine
of these index cards having the extreme
left tab, the numbers 1 to 9 are printed.
Behind each of these nine cards are
placed eight cards, with index tabs in
the second from left position carrying
the eight possible pairs of digits. For
example, behind the index card with 1
there will be index cards 12; 13; 14;
15; 16; 17; 18; 19. (An 11 is not a
possible combination.) The index to
this point requires 81 index cards. For
further separation seven cards with
middle tabs could be placed behind each
of the 72 second position tab cards. For
example, behind the 12 card there would
be cards marked 123; 124; 125; 126;
127; 128; 129. If the file were extended,
still more tabular cards could be insert-
ed. These would have fourth position
tabs and carry four numbers. Behind
the 123 card would be placed 1234;
336 JOURNAL OP CONSULTING PSYCHOLOGY
1235; 1236; 1237; 1238; 1239. Such in-
dex subdivision would require a very
large number v of tabular cards and no
ordinary file of profiles will need so
complete subdivision. Our experience
indicates that it is best to complete the
second position cards and insert only a
few of the third or fourth position
cards to separate larger packs of code
cards as they accumulate. The degree
of "fineness" in subdivision by index
cards will then depend upon the fre-
quency of certain rough groups of coded
profile types.
To prepare codes for filing, the code
is written in the upper left corner of
lined 3 by 5 cards. The name, sex and
other identification referring to the
original profile is placed, in the upper
right corner. Other data may be writ-
ten on the lower faces of the cards.
Finally the cards are filed in the pre-
pared index. A code such as 4-21 would
be placed behind the index card marked
4. Filing is done only with reference to
the numbers to the left of the dash.
Cards with no coded high or low point
are coded "-" only and placed behind
a first position tab index card marked
"-". Cards with only low points may
be similarly placed after serial arrange-
ment in terms of the low point code, or
if research on low points is intended, a
separate index file should be prepared
as described above except that the index
numbers should be preceded by a "-".
When such a low point file is used, all
coded profiles having both low and high
coded scales should be recorded on a
"low" as well as a "high" card. On the
"low" card the code can be written back-
wards. For example, the code of Table
I would be written -69;32'17 on the
"low file" card. These low file cards
should be indexed exclusively with ref-
erence to the low points. They are at
once identifiable by the semicolon as du-
plicate cards with a high point file card.
As soon as a number of profiles have
been coded and filed, one has various
data available. The number of code
cards behind each first position index
card shows the frequency of occurrence
of each scale as a high point. Similarly
the number of cards behind each of the
second position tab cards shows the fre-
quency of all the combinations of two
high points. Other such possibilities for
profile analysis are apparent. Frequency
tables of these types as found among
the MMPI normative cases will soon be
published to afford a comparison with
data observed elsewhere.
One may wish to select out of a file
all the available profiles that are simi-
lar to a particular example. To do this
the referent profile is first coded. The
index will at once yield any identically
coded profiles. Usually, because of the
great variety of profile shapes and ele-
vations, there will be few if any of such
identical codes. One may next write
variants of the referent code making
any changes he feels will not materially
affect the basic pattern. Each variant
is checked in the index until such con-
cessions to variation have provided as
many cases as seem reasonably similar.
To serve as an example, the mild psy-
choneurosis averaged profile as given by
Gough [2] has the code 132' 6478-. This
code indicates that the typical mild psy-
choneurosis profile is characterized by
two plateaus of higher values. The triad
Hs, D and Hy are at 70 or above and
another four scales Pd, Pa, Pt and Sc
are nearly equal at a lower level. There
were no scales below 46.
In matching this profile one may set
up criteria permitting variation enough
to obtain reasonably similar profiles un-
til the differences become experimental-
ly intolerable.
To further illustrate, a file of 681
"normal" profiles yields eight with codes
beginning 123, four with 132 and three
 A CODING SYSTEM FOB MMPI PROFILE CLASSIFICATION
with 231. Some of these have several
of the four scales, 6, 7, 8 or 9 and most
have some low scales. The 15 cases
probably represent the best available
group of profiles among these normals
that could be considered at all compar-
able to Cough's "mild neurotics." The
averaged profile, however, may have
partly obscured the patterning of the
curves on neurotic patients. If a sum-
mary of the code types from which the
averages were obtained was available, it
might be possible to extend the search
for similar profiles more widely.
Using the above system there is place
for one more scale that could be called
0. This would greatly extend the num-
ber of classes but profiles without the
extra scale (or profiles disregarding any
one of the scales) can be matched by
writing their codes (the number assign-
ments to the scales should never be
changed) assuming the missing scale to
have any acceptable position in the code.
For example, most MMPI profiles of
the normative groups do not have Mf
items. Codes on these will never have
the number 5. Suppose such a profile to
be represented by the code 46-. One
may look for similar profiles among an
indexed assortment of profiles that do
have the Mf under the 46- and variants
with other scales but always omitting 5.
This would force any matched profile to
have an Mf between 45 and 55. On the
other hand, one may . wish to disregard
the value of Mf. In this case one could
also look under 546-, 456-, 465-, and
variants using other scales among the
337
high points. For such profile matching
the low points may be disregarded or of
course they may be specified in any de-
sired way.
SUMMARY
An MMPI profile coding system that
provides an approach to pattern-inten-
sity analysis is presented. The codes re-
tain much of the original information
but effect a simplification that seems a
good compromise with too great diver-
sity at one extreme and oversimplifica-
tion with loss of information at the
'other. The coded profiles may be in-
dexed and filed. The file provides an im-
mediate reference for profile elevation
and shape frequencies among given
classes of subjects.
REFERENCES
1. Du MAS, F. M. On the interpretation of
personality profiles. J. din. Psyehol., 1947,
3, 57-65.
2. GOUGH, H. G. Diagnostic patterns on the
Minnesota multiphasic personality inven-
tory. J. din. Psyehol., 1946, 2, 23-87.
3. HARRIS, R. E., AND CHRISTIANSEN, C. Pre-
diction of response to brief psychotherapy.
J. Psyehol., 1946, 21, 269-284.
4. McKiNLEY, J. C., HATHAWAY, S. R. AND
MEEHL, P. E. The Minnesota multiphasic
personality inventory: VI. The K scale.
To appear in J. consult. Psyehol.
5. MEEHL, P. E. Profile analysis of the Min-
nesota multiphasic personality inventory in
differential diagnosis. J. appl. Psyehol.,
1946, 30, 517-524.
6. SCHMITT, H. 0. Test profiles as a diag-
nostic aid: the Minnesota multiphasic in-
ventory. J. appl. Psyehol., 1945, 29, 115-
131.